How do we create space in our lives for something new to emerge? So often wehold on to the familiar for fear that we will lose something. The other day I wasthinking about friends who were instrumental in my life during a specific time. As I sat reminiscing, I realized I was smiling. My heart was full of joy. In that moment, I realized I had not “lost” those people at all as they were still very much alive in my heart and mind.

Studies show that our “virtual” experiences are as impactful to ourselves as theactual experiences. Three groups of people were given the task of shooting abasketball from the foul line. One group practiced every day for 20 minutes, one group did nothing and the third group envisioned themselves shooting baskets every day for 20 minutes. Do you know which group had the better percentage of shots when the participants were tested at the end of thirty days? The group who envisioned themselves every day shooting baskets won out by a few percentage points.

Life coach Martha Beck shares that by using our brains to experience what wewant to happen before we actually experience it often changes our energy. When my daughters were just starting adolescence, our nights were often fraught with conflict. Each evening, for 10 minutes, I would “see” it differently in my mind, using Beck’s method. I would imagine what it felt like in the house, what it sounded like (“oh mom, we love you”) and what it looked like. I was amazed at how quickly things changed and realized that as my energy changed, the girls’ energy changed.

As you think about coming to a conference at Ferry Beach this summer, think about what you want it to feel like. What do you want to experience? How do you want to interact in community with others? When we set our intention, when we begin to vision the way our world is, that world is often reflected back to us.